increase font size
Valtra T174.
Graeme Savill's Valtra T174 has made a difference to his Bay of Plenty forestry contracting business since arriving in January and is handy on his dairy farm.
Made in Finland, where forestry is a major earner, the 190hp Valtra T174 has proven ideal because its heavy-duty rear transaxle can tow trailers loaded with up to 15 tonnes of logs.
Savill has also attached two winches to haul logs: the 180m front unit is the main hauling winch, and the 500m rear winch is used to drag the main winch out to hook onto logs. Both units are PTO driven and can move 30 tonne items.
Savill says he is likely to fit a 6-tonne log hoist to load trailers quickly.
Besides hauling timber, the T174 is used to power a MeriCrusher mulcher that clears sites when logging is finished
The Valtra also helped out over easter period with silage duties on the 260ha, 250-cow dairy farm at Katikati, run by Savill’s daughter and son-in-law.
Graeme points out the 174 has a particularly comfortable cab that can be optioned to a customer’s own preference including a 180-degree swivel seat, armrest, air conditioning with automatic climate control, mechanical cab suspension and two safety cameras.
Shane and Kylie McDonald were searching for a reliable, straightforward tractor for their specialist farm at Bell Block, New Plymouth. They looked at several brands and models then test drove a Valtra and loved it, they say.
Can a robot be used to clear snow from an airstrip? Yes, it can, as demonstrated by tractor specialist Valtra with Nokian Tyres and three other Finnish companies.
Valtra has won a major international design award for its tractor SmartTouch armrest and interface between operator and machine.
Valtra's Unlimited Design Studio is known for taking tractor customisation to the next level, with upgrades to paint, leather interior, high-end audio and the odd exhaust stack.
The Valtra T254 Versu won the coveted Tractor of the Year 2018 (TOTY) and Best Design 2018 awards at Agritechnica 17 last month in Hannover, Germany.
A scholarship for up to five students each year, studying Massey University’s Bachelor of Horticultural Science degree has been launched by kiwifruit exporter Zezpri.
The needs for animal protein in discussions on future nutritious and sustainable food systems seems to be missing from much of the rhetoric, says Jeremy Hill, Fonterra’s chief scientist and technology officer.
How we take the farming community with us and what trajectory we are on for climate change response is all open for discussion, says Dr Rod Carr, the new chair-designate of the Climate Change Commission.
The new chair of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) Trust wants to use the awards to showcase NZ dairy to the world.
Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way.
Taranaki farmer Mel Poulton will work with New Zealand’s special agricultural trade envoy, Mike Petersen, over the next three months in preparation for taking over his role on January 1.
Is food vegan simply because it doesn’t come from a cow? This question has puzzled one in five Britons.
The Fonterra shareholders council announced last week that elections will take place in 10 of its 25 wards.
